Philly March Madness: (6) Pelle Lindbergh vs. (11) Keith Primeau

Philly March Madness: (6) Pelle Lindbergh vs. (11) Keith Primeau

Over the next few weeks at The700Level, we'll be posting poll matchups as part of our Philly March Madness competition. Examine the cases of the two fine Philadelphia athletes below, and cast your vote at the bottom as to which you think should advance to the next round. And as always, feel free to explain your selection and/or debate the choices in the comments section.

(6) Pelle Lindbergh

The story of Pelle Lindbergh’s career in Philadelphia is equal parts brilliant and tragic. Before the age of 27, Pelle had become one of the greatest goalies in Flyers history, notched a 40-win season, won a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender of the season, and was three times named an All-Star. He also died before the age of 27, leaving a legion of fans wondering “What if?” for the next two decades and counting. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Lindberg came up monitoring Bernie Parent, which would come full circle when Bernie would later train him like a Jedi in the North American style of play. Possibly appreciating iconography, Pelle even wore a white mask strikingly similar to Bernie’s trademark look. Lindbergh was a pioneer for European goalies, the first to win a Vezina, and he won the hearts of the city for good with a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in his third NHL season, 1984-1985. Unfortunately, just 14 games into the next season, after the team had won its tenth straight, Lindbergh had a few too many celebration beers and got behind the wheel of his Porsche. You know the rest of the story.

Lindbergh will be remembered for his greatness over a short career, but sadly, it’s impossible to recall him without feeling the pain of losing him so soon. He might have been the best ever. No Flyer has worn the number 31 since Pelle, though it has never officially been retired. -Matt P.

(11) Keith Primeau

Keith Primeau came to the Flyers after a tenure in Detroit that was both productive and frustrating, followed by a brief stop in Hartford before the Whalers moved south and become the Carolina Hurricanes. In 1999, the Canes traded him to Philadelphia in exchange for Rod Brind’Amour, something of an oddity given that both were veteran guys who played the same position. The popular Brind’Amour left big shoes to fill, but none could be bigger than those of Eric Lindros, who would be traded out of Philly after sitting out most of the 2000-2001 campaign. In that, Primeau’s first full season as a Flyer, he led the team in goals. Not long into the next campaign, Eric Desjardins handed the C he briefly held to Primeau, who would serve as captain from 2001 to 2006.

Like Lindros, Primeau had a big frame and could hit, pass, skate, and score. It was the power forward era in Philly, and Prims led the next generation. His defining moment as a Flyer came in game four of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when he ended the longest game in modern NHL history by putting a wrister over Penguin goalie Ron Tugnutt’s shoulder in the fifth overtime. It was a game and a shot no Flyer fan will ever forget. Primeau also had a memorable run in the 2004 playoffs, adding to his legacy in Philadelphia, which had seen some bumps along the way. The captain, along with several key members of the team, was vocal in his opposition to coach Bill Barber, who was fired after a strong team dramatically underperformed down the stretch. Unfortunately, Primeau’s career was cut short by a concussion just after the start of the 2005 season, a reminder at how quickly something great can come to an end in a contact sport. -Matt P.

Matt Rhule's first Baylor hires include 4 Temple assistants

Matt Rhule's first Baylor hires include 4 Temple assistants

WACO, Texas -- New Baylor coach Matt Rhule has made some immediate Texas connections by hiring the president of the state's high school coaches who is a former Bears receiver.

Rhule announced his first five hires with the Bears on Friday, three days after being named Baylor's coach. They include four members from his staff at Temple and David Wetzel, the head coach and athletic director the past 13 seasons at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio.

Sean Padden will serve as Baylor's director of football operations, similar to his role at Temple the past four years.

Rhule didn't immediately announce the titles and job duties for Wetzel, Francis Brown, Mike Siravo and Evan Cooper. There was also no indication of when the rest of his staff would be completed.

Brown and Siravo were defensive assistants at Temple, and Cooper was director of player personnel for the Owls.

Wetzel, who has coached in the state high school ranks for 25 years, was serving as president of the Texas High School Football Coaches Association. He lettered at Baylor in 1990 and 1991 while playing for Grant Teaff, and also earned a master's degree from the school in 1994. Before Reagan, he was head coach at schools in Killeen and Austin.

Wetzel told the Waco Tribune-Herald that he expects to play a major role in recruiting, but didn't know yet if he'd be coaching offense or defense.

"Given the opportunity, it's really a unique deal," Wetzel told the newspaper. "I feel like it's God's timing for me to be in the right place at the right time."

When Rhule was introduced Wednesday in Waco, he said he had already received about 480 text messages, many from coaches. He also didn't rule out the possibility of some of the current Baylor assistants staying, but said he hadn't had a chance to meet with them. Those assistants were retained from former coach Art Briles' staff with Jim Grobe as acting head coach this season.

NoteBaylor announced Friday that Jalen Pitre, a defensive back from Stafford, Texas, signed a financial aid agreement that will allow him to enroll for the spring 2017 semester after graduating from high school early. Before Rhule was hired, Pitre was the only player verbally committed for Baylor's recruiting class in February. He had 83 tackles, six interceptions and four forced fumbles as a senior.

Dorial Green-Beckham didn't support any charity with his cleats last Sunday.

In reality, he was funding the NFL.

The Eagles' receiver was fined $6,076 by the NFL for wearing Yeezy cleats (Kanye West's shoes), which had no affiliation to a charitable organization or cause, CSNPhilly.com has confirmed. Players around the NFL last weekend wore decorative spikes supporting a charity or cause they felt passionately about as part of the league's My Cleats, My Cause promotion. Green-Beckham was fined because his cleats were unapproved by the league; earlier this season Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins was fined for wearing Yeezy cleats.